springer



(No Model.) 1 2 SheetS Sheet 1.

T. G. SPRINGER.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING GAS.

Patented A r. 12, 1887.

PETERS. Phololilhflgnpher, Walhinglnn. D. C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-S'heet 2.

T, G. SPRINGER. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING GAS.

No. 361,191. Patented Apr. 12, 1887.

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, v flla M M? N PETERS. Molillwgnpber. Walbirlqion. D C,

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE efsrnmenn, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF ANDAPPARATUS? FOR MANUFACTURING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,191, dated April12, 1887. Application filed November 29,1886. Serial No. 220,198 (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THEODORE G. SPRINGER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and Stateof New York, have invented a [certain new and useful Improvement inProcess of and Apparatus for Manufacturing Heating and Illuminating Gas;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to the process of and apparatus for manufacturingheating and illuminating gas; and the object of the invention is moreparticularly to utilize soft or bituminous coal in the manufacture ofwatergas by first coking such coal,and thereby feeding or replenishingthe body of incandescent coke in which steam is decomposed.

In carrying out my invention one portion of a body of fuel contained ina cupola-namely, the coke or other form of hard carbonis blasted withair, causing its active combustion till it is heated to incandescence,and at the same time "a body of bituminous or soft coal is subjected todirect contact with the body of highly-heated coke and to incomplete orsmothered combustion, so as to distill off the volatile hydrocarbons,and thereby replenish the coke as fast as consumed by active combustion.The gaseous products resulting from the active combustion of the cokeand from the distillation and incomplete or'smothered combustion of thebituminous coal are burned in a regenerating-chamber and the heat storedin a body of refractory material. Steam is then highly superheated bypassage through such heated refractory material and is thendecomhydrogen, and these mixed gases are passed into contact with theheated fuel, and thereby converted into carbonic oxide and lightcarbureted hydrogen. A second bed of coke or other form of hard carbonmay be heatedto incandescence, and a second body of bituminous or softcoal be reduced to coke, as in the first cupola, and the resultinggaseous products from both sources burned, and the heat stored in asecond body of refractory material in a regenerator-chamber. Thewater-gas or mixture of carbonic oxide andlight carbureted hydrogenpassing from the fuel-chamber of the first cupola may then be passedthrough the fuel of the second cupola, and thence into the second bodyof refractory material, where it is carbureted and converted into afixed illuminating-gas.

The matter constituting my-invention will be defined in the claims.

V In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal sectionof the single form of my apparatus; and Fig. 2 represents a verticallongitudinal section of the apparatus in connected or double form,adapted for making illuminating-gas. a

The cupola A is built tall, and is partially divided by the ledge a intothe lower combustion and decomposing fuel-chamber, A, and the uppercokingchamber, A". It is constructed of fire-brick and surrounded andincloscd by a tight iron jacket in the usual manner. An air-blast pipe,B, connects with the ash-pit for producing active combustion of the cokeor other form of hard carbon in compartment A, and a small air-blastpipe, 13, having a controllingrvalve, t, connects with the cokingchamber or compartment A Escapepipes D D connect, respectively, with thetops of the compartments A and A for conducting off the gaseous productsfrom each, and these pipes connect with the vertical pipe E, which isconnected by pipe F with the top of chamber G of the regenerator G. Aconical valve, d, provided with a stem and operating-lever, is arrangedto close upon a seat, cl, in pipe E, and thus close pipe D andcommunication between coking-chamber A and the regenerator. A plug orstopper valve, 0, having a stem, 6, is provided in the lower end of pipeE, for closing pipe D. A fuel-supply opening, I), having a tight-closinglid, 00, is provided in the top cupola, A.

v The regenerator G is divided into two vertical chambers, G and G, bythe vertical partition I, and chamber G is provided with two perforatedbrick arches, h h, dividing it into upper and lower compartments, andserving to support the brick checker-work placed in the chamber. Aperforated arch, h, is also arranged near the base of chamber G, forsupporting its brick checker-work. Chamber G is provided at the top withpassage g, and tightly-closing lid 5 and chamber G is provided at itstop with passage i and tightlyelosing lid i. These passages or openingsserve for the escape of products of combustion and for giving access tothe chambers for cleaning or repairing the brick-work. An outletgas-pipe, H, having valve it, connects with the top of chamber G, forconducting gas which it is desired to save to a place of storage or use.Steamsupply pipe K, having valve 7;, connects with the top of chamber G.An oilsupply pipe, m, connects with the base of chamber G, below arch h.Air-blast pipes L L connect with chamber G, the first at its top and thesecond just below arch h, for supplying air to cause combustion ofgaseous products from the cupola, and thereby heat the brick-work inchambers G'and G. The takeoff pipe 0, for water gas, or mixture ofcarbonic oxide and light carbureted hydrogen,

' connects with the ash-pit of cupola A and leads to the seal andwash-box. shown.)

As shown in the drawings, Fig. 2, a second cupola, A, and a secondregenerator, G, constructed, arranged, and connected like those abovedescribed, are connected at the base through the medium of gaspipe 0. Bythis connection, water-gas, or the mixture of earbonic oxide andhydrogen,which is madeiu one set of chambers, (viz., a cupola andregenerator,) can be converted into illuminating-gas of any desiredcandle-power by passing it through the body of fuel in the second cupolaand then into the second heated regeuerator, where it is carbureted orenriched with hydrocarbons and converted into fixed gas by contact withthe heated refractory material.

It has heretofore been proposed, and I have described in my Patents Nos.257,100 and 263,612, the operation of supplying bituminous coal to thesteam-decomposing chamber in a water-gas generator, and heating it toincandescence by active combustion with blasts of air for subsequentlydecomposing steam; but for reasons stated below such operation was notsuccessful.

I have learned by experience that bituminous orsoft coal cannot besuccessfully blasted and heated to ineandescence and used fordecomposing steam, for the reason that when highly heated in a deep bodyit runs together and cakes in large masses, so that steam cannot beadvantageously passed through it for decomposition, and also for thereason that soot and lampblack are given off from it in such largequantities as to clog up the brickwork of the regenerator, and so renderit inoperative. It is, however, very desirable to use such soft orbituminous coal in making (Not here watergas, on account of itsabundance and cheapness in many localities; and in order to use it andavoid the above-mentioned objections I apply the air-blast in largevolumes directly to a body of coke, and cause its active combustion tillit is heated to incandescence, and pass off the products of combustionbelow the body of bituminous coal, and at the same time subject suchbody of the bituminous coal to direct contact with the highly-heatedcoke and to a slow and incomplete or smothered combustion, with alimited and regulated airsupply, in order to gradually distill off thevolatile matter and reduce it to coke, so as to thereby replenish thebody of coke as it is consumed by the active combustion. The volatileand tarry matters are thus slowly driven off from the soft coal andconsumed with the poor gaseous products from the coke without waste andwithout injury to the brick-work of the superheater, and such coal isreduced to coke, which is perfectly adapted to undergo active combustionand be raised to a high heat, and to subsequently be used fordecomposing steam.

The operation is as follows: A fire is first kindled on the grate of thecupola, and coke or other hard carbon-such as anthracite coal is fed induring the admission of the air-blast till compartment A is nearly orquite filled with heated fuel. Then a deep body of bituminous coal issupplied to compartment A on top of the body of hot fuel, and to suchcoal is admitted a limited and regulated supply of air through pipe 13,just sufficient to cause a slow incomplete combustion, such as is bestadapted for the coking operation. Valves d and ebeing open, the productsof active combustion from the fuel in compartment A pass off throughpipe D, and the volatile matter and gases from the distilling coal incompartment A pass out through pipe D, and both then flow into the topof the superhcating regenerator-chamber G, where they are burned by theadmission of air by pipe L. The products pass down and are given asecond supply of air by pipe L, which causes their complete combustion.The hot products then pass down to the base of chamber G, and then upthrough chamber G, from which they escape by passage 17, thus highlyheating the refractory brick-work in both chambers. \Vhen kindling thefire, the lid .50 should be open, then, after the air-blasts areadmitted, lid is opened and lid w closed. The body of coke incompartment A being heated to incandescence and thesupcrhcat-ingregenerator G G G being heated to the desired temperature,the air-blasts are shut off, the lids i and g and a: are tightly closed,and steam is admitted by pipe K into the top of chamber G and passeddown through such chamber and up through chamber G in contact with theheated brick-work, by which it is highly superheated, and is thencepassed either directly through pipes E and D into the body ofincandescent coke, where it is decomposed, or

1t ispassed by pipe D into compartment A, and thence down through thebody of partlally-coked bituminous coal, and thence on downthroughiheincandescent body of fuel in compartmentA,where it iscompletely decomposed and converted into watergas. The superheatedsteam, in passing-down through the partially-distilled bituminous coal,carries some of the volatile and tarry matters down 1nto theincandescent coke, where they are decomposed, together with the steam,resulting in the formation of carbureted hydrogenand water-gas. Thesteam having been passed down through chamber G and therein superheated,may be commingled with oil vapor resulting from the admission'of alimited supply of oil through pipe m at the base of chamber G, and

the mixture of hydrocarbon oil with steam in excess is decomposed incontact with the heated brick-work in chamber G, so as to form carbonicacid and hydrogen; and these gases, in a hlghly heated state, areconducted through the incandescent fuel, and thereby converted intocarbonic oxide and light carbureted hydrogen. The mixture of carbonicacid and hydrogen may be passed through the incandescent coke only, orfirstthrough the partiallydistilled coal and then through incandescentcoke. The water-gas is finally passed off tht jough pipes O and I,leading from the ash- The two sets of fuel and regenerator chambers maybe conveniently operated at the same time, but independently of eachother, for making heating-gas, as above described, and when it isdesired to make illuminating-gas they are connected at their basesthrough the medium of pipes'G, by opening the valves 0 c and closingvalvep. (Shown in Fig. 2.)

.Before commencing the {generation of illuminating-gas both valves ofpipe 0 are closed and both bodies of fuel in the two cupolas are blastedand heated at the same time, and

them. 0 c are opened and valve 1) closed. Then water-gas, or themixtureof carbonic-oxide and light carbureted hydrogen gas, is made,asheretofore described, preferablyin the right-hand side superheater, G,and cupola A, and such gas is passed through connecting-pipe C and upthrough the hot coke in compartment A, and thence directly into chamberG, to be carbureted and fixed, or through the hot coke and on throughthe partially-distilled bituminous coal, and then into chamber G. As

the gas passes into chamber G through pipe F hydrocarbon oil is admittedby pipe R, having valve 1', into the top of such chamber in suitablequantity to carburet the gas to the desired candle-power. The oil isquickly va-- H, the valve n of which is open. In case the two cupolasare connected together at the base by pipe 0 and it is desired to makewater-gas in each, then steam, or steam and oil, is preferablydecomposed in one set while the other set is being blasted with air andheated up. For instance, valve 0 may be closed and the right-hand cupolaand regenerator blasted with air and heated up, while valves 0 and p areopened and water-gas is generated in the left-hand regenerator andcupola, and such gas passed off through pipes O and P. Then, of course,the left-hand set may be heated up, while gas is generated in theright-hand set by closing valve 0 and opening valve 0. In this mannertwo sets of generators can be con veniently and economically used forgenerating water-gas,or for generating illuminatinggas, as desired.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent,

1. In the manufacture of gas, the process of raising one portion of abody of fuel to incandescence and coking simultaneously a body ofbituminous coal preparatory to decomposing steam, which consists inblasting the coke with air and causing active combustion till it isheated to incandescence, and at the same time subjecting a body ofbituminous coal to direct contact with the highly-h eated coke and toincomplete or smothered combustion, (by admitting a limited supply ofair,) thereby distilling 0d the volatile hydrocarbons and forming coketo replenish the body of coke below as consumed by the activecombustion,

and at the same time subjecting a body of bituminous coal to directcontact with the highly-heated coke and to incomplete or smotheredcombustion by admitting a limited supply of air, so as to distill offthe volatile hydrocarbons and replenish the coke as consumed by activecombustion, and at the sametime burning the gaseous products resultingfrom the coke and bituminous coal and storing the heat in a body ofrefractory material, then superheating steam in the refractory materialand decomposing it by passing it through the heated fuel.

3. The process of manufacturing gas, which consists in raising twobodies of coke to incandescence by active combustion with air-blasts,and at the same time subjecting two bodies of bituminous coal to directcontact with the highly-heated coke and to incomplete or smotheredcombustion by admitting a limited supply of air, so as to distill offthe volatile hydrocarbons and replenish the coke as consumed by activecombustion, and at the same time burning the gaseous products resultingfrom the coke and bituminous coal and storing the heat pipe,incombination with a regenerating-chamin two bodies of refractorymaterial, then suber containing refractory matcriahand a gasperheatingsteam in one of the bodies of the eduction pipe having acontrolling-valve lead- 15 refractory material and decomposingitbypassing from each compartment of the fuel-cham 5 ingitthrongh thebodiesoffuel,and,finally,earher and connecting with such regeneratingburetingthe resulting gas and fixing it by passchamber. ing it through thesecond body of refractory In testimony whereof I affix my signature 1nmaterial to form illuminatinggas. presence of two witnesses.

4. A cnpola gas-generator having a lower THEODORE G. SPRINGER. 1ocompartment for decomposing steam and an Vitnesses:

upper compartn'ient for coking coal each com- A. P. HUNSHAUP, partmentbeing provided with an air-blast J. \V. I. Hymns.

